Process for the treatment of cotton seed and the like



Jan. 19, 1943. 1.. KETTENBACH 2,308,883

PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF COTTON SEED AND THE LIKE Original Filed July 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /N VE N 7' OR 05 Carl. .Keffenbach B )7 M bu-M- A T TORNE Y5 Jan. 19, 1943. o. KETTENBACH 2,303,883

PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF COTTON SEED AND THE LIKE Original Filed July 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0500/" L .Kefienbach Z/MQJ WJJN A TTURNEY5 Patented Jan. 19, 1943 PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF COT- TON SEED AND THE LIKE Oscar L. Kettenbach, Tucson, Ariz., assignor to Chemical Seed Treating and Delinting Corporation, a corporation of Arizona Original application July 15, 1937, Serial No. 153,734. Divided and this application March 1, 1940, Serial No. 321,617

8 Claims. (Cl. 83-28) This invention relates to improvements in processes for the treatment of cotton seed and the like.

The present application is a division of application Serial Number 153,734, filed July 15, 1937, L

nowlatent No. 2,240,503, issued May 6, 1941.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved process for removing lint and other undesirable material from cotton seed.

A further object is to provide a process of the above nature including the application of heated acid to the seed. Any of the acids ordinarily employed may be used, for example, sulphuric acid, as mentioned in the patent to Ethridge No. 2,124,816, dated July 26, 1938.

Another object is to provide a process including successive steps of delintlng, washing, and separating the seed.

Another object is to provide a process of the above type which is readily controllable and adapted to automatic operation.

A further particular object of the invention is to provide steps in the process to separate and eliminate from the run of seed all light, sterile, arid, immature seeds, as well as all pods, leaves, sticks and light trash, so that the germination of the finished product may be a maximum regardless of how poor in germination the untreated supply of seed may be.

A further object is to provide a process of the above nature in which separation of the washed seed is accomplished by flotation.

A still further object is to provide a process in which the flotation step preserves the separated sterile seed and the like in suitable condition and available for commercial purposes other than planting.

Other objects and advantages of the invention appear during the course of the following description in connection with the accompanying awings in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of suitable ap- Figure 7 is a sectional detail view of the delinter; and

Figure 8 is afragmental sectional view of the washer, floater and dryer.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, thenumeral l0 generally indicates a frame, preferably of structural steel construction, comprising a base II and side uprights I2. Attached to the rear uprights 12 is an inclined structure 13, hereinafter generally referred to as the delinter, and comprising two aligned cylindrical sections l5 and I6 joined by an intermediate T section ll. The sections I5, l6 and I1 are preferably made of cast iron, and sections l5 and 16 are provided with water jackets l8 and I9. An upwardly opening hopper 20 is provided on the lower end of the first section IS. A water-jacketed tank 2! is supported on a bracket 22 above the section l5, and a pipe 23, controllable by a valve It, leads out of the bottom of tank 2| to deliver fluid therefrom into the hopper 29.

An inclined spiral conveyor 24, Figures 1 and 2, is adapted to deliver seeds or similar material into the hopper 20, the conveyor shaft 25 having on its lower end a bevel gear 26, Figure 2, meshing with a second bevel gear 21 on a horizontal shaft 28 supported under a feeding bin 29. A short horizontal screw feeder in the bottom of bin 29 is driven from shaft 28 by any suitable means such as a belt 3| on step pulleys Ma, and is adapted to force material from the bin 29 into the inclined conveyor 24. Rotating agitators 30a in the bin 29 prevent clogging and insure proper feeding by the screw 30.

A rotary shaft 32, Figures 1, 3 and 5, extends through the delinter l3, the lower bearing 33 being sealed to prevent egress of fluid from the hopper 20. The shaft 32 carries a plurality of spirally inclined paddles 34 adapted to impel material being treated upward through the delinter 13 from the hopper 20, the shaft 32 being driven through a chain 35 from a jack-shaft 36 which in turn is driven via a V-belt 31 by a reversible and variable speed motor 38, Figures 4 and 5.

A chute 39 leads diagonally downward from the upper end of the delinter section I6 into one end of a washer 40 comprising an elongated trough ,4l, Figure 1, in which is rotatably mounted a suitable screw conveyor 42 which may be equipped with pick-ups or small flns 43, Figure 4, for the purpose of thoroughly stirring the seed as it is being washed. A water-pipe M overlies the trough 4| and is equipped with downwardly directed spray nozzles 45. The waterpipe is adapted to be connected to any suitable source of water supply. A sloping branch 4 of pipe 44, also equipped with nozzles, is located in the top of the inclined chute It as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Perforations 41 are Provided in the bottom of the washing trough 4| to allow exit of water therefrom into a drain-trough ll having an outlet pipe a leading to a sump Ill hereinafter described, adapted to be connected to any suitable drain.

Situated directly below the delinter II is a structure 4! generally referred to hereinafter as the floater. The floater I! has a sharply inclined trough 50, the lower portion of which has high sides and ends forming a triangular tank II, Figure 3. A sloping screw conveyor 52, closely following the bottom of the trough ill throughout its length. is adapted to be driven through bevel gears 53 from a cross shaft 54, the cross shaft 54 being driven by a chain 55 from a second cross shaft 58 which also drives the washer conveyor 42 through bevel gears 51, the second cross shaft 56 in turn being driven via a chain it by a motor 59, Figures 1, 4 and 5.

A substantially horizontal chain 80, Figures 1, 3 and 4, disposed above the triangular tank i and provided with sprocket shafts SI and 62, carries a series of paddles or skimmers 63 adapted to engage and skim the surface 64 of the water in the tank 5i as hereinafter described. The skimmers 63 over-ride a downwardly inclined lip 65 in the end of the tank 5| above a basket or other suitable receiver 66 removably supported in ways 81 on the base II. The ways 61 enclose a sump III on the top of which is a removable screen I. vided with an outlet pipe I" leading to any suitable drain. A valve I06 and pipe lll'l provide means of draining the floater tank 5| into the sump through the screen I. The washer outlet pipe 48a also drains into the sump through the screen, and a pipe I" and valve I09, Figure 3, allow the material in hopper and remaining in the delinter to be discharged either into the basket 68 or on the screen I when desired, for instance when washing out the delinter.

The upper portion of the inclined floater trough has perforations 68, Figures 1 and 3, under which is supported a drip trough 69 provided with a return pipe ll leading back into the floater.

From the delivery end of the washer lll an inclined chute ll, Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5, leads downward and curves into the bottom corner of the triangular tank SI of the floater 49. A screw conveyor 12 is provided in the chute II to force the seeds downward from the washer and deliver them into the floater. A horizontal cross passage leads from the upper part of the tank Iii to the inclined chute 1|, serving to equalize the water level in these structures, and is provided with a screen II.

An inclined delivery passage or pipe I5 leads from the upper end of the floater trough 50 to the end of a substantial horizontal structure 16, generally referred to herein as the dryer and comprising a trough 11 provided with a paddle conveyor 18, having agitators Ila and driven by a suitable chain and bevel gearing from the shaft 58. A hood I! is hinged to the top of the trough ll so as to cover the entire top thereof, a removable screen 8| being provided between the interiors of the two structures. A blower ll, Figure l, operable by a motor 82, is adapted to draw air from a suitable air heater 8! controlla- The sump is p1'0-.

ble in any well-known manner by a thermostat 78 I02, and deliver it to the interior of the hood II. The bottom of the trough II is provided throughout with slots or perforations 11a for the egress of air, some of these slots being omitted in Figure l to clarify the drawing.

A small horizontal screw conveyor 84 is adapted to receive dried material from the delivery end of the dryer conveyor 18 and in turn move it to a delivery pipe II. A second blower it, driven by a motor ll, forces a blast of air through the pipe 85 to elect the flnished material received from the conveyor .4. The ejector pipe Cl is adapted to deliver the material to any desired destination such as cars, bins or to suitable dusting device, and is provided with an auxiliary outlet spout 88, Figure l, controllable by an internal flap valve It. It will be noted in Figures 1, 4 and 5 that the small ejector conveyor ll and the initial feed screw 2 are both driven through chain linkages from the same motor ll, so that the relative speeds of the two remain the same at all times, ensuring proper election.

A motor driven pump II, Figure l, is adapted to circulate warm water from a water heater it through the Jackets of the delinter i3 and acid tank 2| via suitable piping 92, part of which piping is cut away in .the drawings to avoid undue complication. The temperature of the jacket water may be controlled by a thermostat 83, Figures 1 and 3, arranged in the piping system 92. As the operation of such thermostatic controllers is well-known, further description herein is unnecessary.

To replenish the supply of acid in the jacketed tank 2| the latter has a pipe line 04 leading to a storage drum 95, Figure 6, located at any convenient point near the remainder of the apparatus. The pipe line It enters the drum ll through a sealing plug It and terminates near the bottom of the drum. An air compressor ll,

Figures 1 and 5, has a discharge line 98 also entering the drum through the plug 08 but terminating at the inside of the plug and therefore above the level of the acid It. Operation of the compressor 01 causes an air pressure to be built up in the drum 9! above the acid II, which pressure forces the acid through the pipe line 84 to the jacketed feed tank II. An escape pipe I00 forming a branch of the air pipe I. is provided with a valve Ill by mean of which the pressure in the drum .5 and hence the flow of acid to the tank 2| may be regulated.

The operation of the device is as follows, dealing with cotton seed as a typical material to be processed.

Fuzzy cotton seed is moved from the feeding bin 29 by the feed screw 3. and deposited in the hopper 20 by the inclined conveyor N. The

speed of the feeder screw II is adjustable by means of the step pulleys 3 In so that the amount of seed being fed may be regulated. In the hopper 20 the seed is mixed with a regulated amount of acid fed through the pipe 23 and valve II from the water-jacketed tank II, which, as previously noted, receives its acid supply from the storage drum 9!, Figure 6. The paddles ll, Figure 3. thoroughly mix the seed and acid and propel the mixture upward through the delinter ii, the T section II providing an upwardly directed opening through which the material may be inspected in its e from the section II to the section it.

The heat supplied by the water-Jackets of the tank 2| and delinter ll keep the acid at the best temperature for proper dellntlng. At the same -delinter it carries no acid which can be removed by drainage or pressure, the controlled heating of the acid thereby keeping the consumption of acid to a minimum with a resultant saving in cost of operation, as well as delinting more efliciently than is possible with cold acid. In normal operation the temperature is held between 110 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. In this range the delinting action is rapid and eiiicient, while the temperature of the acid is not sufliciently high to damage the seed.

The cast iron paddles 3| propel the delinted seed from the delinter into the inclined chute 39 down which the material travels to the conveyor 42 in the washer ll. In its passage down the chute 39 the seed receives a spray of water from the branch pipe 46 which spray starts the washing process and at the same time assists the movement of the seed down the chute.

The conveyor 42 receives the seed from the chute 39 and moves it along the washer through 4| during which process a spray of water is played on the seed from the nozzles 45 of the pipe 44. As the seed is moved along the trough by the conveyor 42 the pickups 43, Figure 4, thoroughly stir the seed to expose it uniformly to the washing water. The water, having washed the seed, drips through the perforations 41 into the drain trough 48, thence out to the sump I03 via the pipe "a. If desired, solid residue from the wash water may be collected from the sump screen I84 and sold for fertilizer or the like.

The seed having traveled throughout the entire length of the trough H and having been thoroughly washing therein, is delivered into the chute H containing the screw conveyor 12. The conveyor 12 forces the seed down the chute and delivers it to the floater I! at a point near the bottom of the triangular tank 5|, as shown in section in Figure 8.

The heavy, fertile seeds are carried up the inclined floater trough 50, while the light, sterile and immature seeds, as well as any leaves, sticks, pods, or other light trash, rise to the surface of the water in the tank 5| and are skimmed oif into the basket 65 by the paddles 83, Figure 1.

This separated material, having been thoroughly washed free of acid prior to separation, is in suitable condition and available for commercial purposes other than planting. As the heavy seed is carried above the water level in the trough 5|, excess water drains therefrom through the perforations 68, thence back into the floater through the pipe II.

Emerging from the top of the floater 49, the seed passes down the delivery passage 15 to the dryer 16. Here the seed is propelled along the trough 11 by the paddle conveyor 18, the agitators 18a meanwhile stirring or agitating the seed. A blast of heated air, delivered from the heater 83 by the blower 8| via the hood I9 and screen 80, passes over and through the agitated seed throughout the entire length of the dryer, the air finding egress through the perforations Ila. The temperature of air blast as previously noted, may be controlled by means of the thermostat, the upper limit of temperature being about 175 degrees Fahrenheit.

The seed, having been thoroughly dried, drops into'the small horizontal conveyor 84 which propels it into the discharge pipe 85 through which a blast of air from the blower 8B eject the seed for storing, sacking or dusting as previously set forth.

The controls for the various motors, whichcontrols may be of conventional types and are therefore omitted from the drawings to avoid unnecessary complication, may be grouped on a panel board such as is indicated in dotted. and dashed lines at I02, Figures 1 and 3, conveniently mounted in any suitable manner adjacent the inspection T ll.

The motor 38 being variable in speed permits the speed of delinting to be readily adjusted to provide for proper duration for different types of seed, seeds with he fuzz requiring longer acid action for perfect d ting than do those with lighter fuzz. The inspection T I! permits the operator to readily gage the proper speed of the motor 38 and proper amount of acid feed by the appearance of the seed passing upward through the dclinter. The motors 38 and 59 being reversible, the machine may readily be run backward to facilitate cleaning at the end of a days run or whenever desired.

The process described delivers seed which is clean, free from disease, and capable of germination in forty-eight hours, whereas untreated seed normally requires eight or more days. Due to the action of the floater, as described, the finished seed germinate per cent or more, irrespective of how poor in germiz'ation the original untreated seed may have been. The light seed deposited in the basket 66 which, as previously noted, is usable for purposes other than planting, may be dried and sacked separately if desired.

The bottom midportion 11b of the trough ll may be hinged to swing downward for cleaning, being provided with hinges 11c and suitable latches "d as shown in Figure 8. Throughout all the conveyors a clearance of about 4 inch is provided between the impellers and the casings, thus avoiding grinding and breaking of the seed.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the device as described provides means to carry out a complete and thorough delinting process, the apparatus being compact, readily controllable, economical, largely automatic in action, and the resulting product being of the highest quality for its purpose.

It will further be seen that the process, by turning out both the heavy or highly fertile seed portion and the lighter separated portion in best condition for their respective subsequent uses, makes possible the most economical and eflicient utilization of the seed mass treated.

While the invention has been described in typical form the process is not limited to use of the particular structures illustrated, as various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A continuous process of delinting seed which comprises subjecting said seed to the action of an acid, supplying heat at a predetermined temperature to said acid and seed during said action. draining excess acid from said seed, washing said seed with water while maintaining said seed in continuous motion, forcing said washed seed into a bath of water below the surface thereof, whereby light material among said seed may separate from heavy seed and float to the top of said bath, continuously removing said heavy seed from said bath, and forcing heated air through said heavy seed while maintaining the latter in continuous motion, thereby drying said seed.

2.Aprocessasclaimedinclaim Lwherein the temperature of said heated air is thermostatically maintained within predetermined limits.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 including steps of mechanically feeding raw seed to said acid, continuously skimming said light material from said bath, mechanically removing said dried seed from contact with said heated air. and pneumatically discharging said dried seed.

4. A process of delinting cotton seed, wherein said seed are in continuous motion throughout, which includes the steps of subjecting said seed to the action of heated acid to remove the lint therefrom, the temperature of said heated acid being maintained within predetermined limits, draining excess acid from said seed, washing the residue of acid from said seed with Jets of water until said seed is substantially free of acid, subsequently passing the washed seed through a body of water and dividing the seeds by flotation into two separate moving streams, one of which includes the fertile seed, and drying said seed.

5. A process of delinting cotton seed, wherein said seed are in continuous motion throughout, which includes the steps of subjecting said seed to the action of heated acid to remove the lint therefrom, the temperature of said acid being maintained between limits of degrees and degrees Fahrenheit, draining excess acid from said seed, washing the residue of acid from said seed with jets of water until said seed is substantlally free of acid, subsequently passing the washed seed through a body of water and dividing the seeds by flotation into two separate moving streams, one of which includes the fertile seed, and dry ns said seed.

6. A process of delinting cotton seed wherein the seed flows continuously through all steps of the process, including the step of forcing the seed throughaheatedacidbathtoremove tainingsaidbathwi the like from the surface of said body of water, and drying said fertile seed.

until it is substantially free of said acid, forcing said washed seed mass into a both of clean water at a point beneath the surface thereof whereby 1 the lighter portions of said washed seed comprising faulty seed and other foreign matter will float to the top of said body of water and the heavier or fertile seed will sink to the bottom of said body, a further step of separately ejecting said lighter and heavier portions of seed from said bath, and the flnal step of drying said seed.

said seed being continuously in motion throughout said steps.

' OSCAR L. CH. 

